Challenges of Patient-centered Care among the Health Workers of Private Hospitals: A Qualitative Perspective from Islamabad, Pakistan

Abstract

This qualitative study identifies social factors that lead to challenges for healthcare workers in the process of Patient-centered Care (PCC), which is comparatively a new approach in the healthcare industry of Pakistan and is deemed as the epitome of quality care. Although it is more common in developed countries, and in the past few decades private hospitals in Pakistan are also adopting this methodology. Qualitative data collection tools and techniques including key-informants, non-participant observation, rapport development, semi-structured interview guides, purposive sampling, and in-depth interview technique were applied for data collection of this study. The ethical issues were truly ensured during this study. This research emphasizes the non-medical factors of health care which make up a significant proportion of quality healthcare service. Non-medical factors include; effective communication, empathy, adequate knowledge of patient inclusion, etc. The findings of this study claim that most of the medical staff in Islamabad are unable to include such practices due to unavailability of resources, time, and training — thus impeding Patient-Centered Care.  A leading reason for the status quo is the soaring number of medical colleges with questionable merits and quality. A qualitative exploratory approach was utilized to pinpoint the major social/non-medical factors that can adversely affect the experiences of a patient. This comprehensive study can be of profound assistance to hospitals and academia to understand the growing concept and challenges of patient-centered care.